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A review by theliteraryhooker
Whispers in the Dark by Laurel Hightower
4.0
This was my first read of 2020, and I definitely feel like I've started the decade off on the right foot! Whispers in the Dark is an incredible debut novel. The plot is fresh and creepy, the writing is strong, but most importantly, the characters are just stellar.
I loved very nearly everything about this novel, but where it really stood out for me was in the relationships depicts between the characters. So often in horror (and especially, it seems, when female characters are involved), the focus is on toxic or manipulative relationships. A dark theme seems to beget dark relationships. But not so in this book. The relationships are refreshingly healthy. Rose is a complete bad-ass, but she isn't afraid to disclose her vulnerabilities to a trusted few. Her family is unconventionally blended, but they all love and support each other. She sets boundaries, and knows when to enforce them. It may not sound all that riveting, but the focus on establishing Rose's relationships with Sam, Luke, and even Aaron made the stakes feel so much higher throughout the story because I was genuinely invested in these characters. I absolutely adored the way it was handled.
A couple of things while I was reading took me out of the story a little bit, but they were minor compared to the overall quality of this novel. The big one which stuck with me was just the frequency with which the characters call each other by their names in the course of normal conversation. It took away a tiny bit from the flow of an otherwise extremely strong narrative. It also felt (for my tastes) like things wrapped up just a little bit too neatly at the end.
This was such a strong story, I could hardly believe it was the author's debut novel! I absolutely can't wait to see what Hightower does next, and I will definitely be keeping a close eye on her after this read!
I loved very nearly everything about this novel, but where it really stood out for me was in the relationships depicts between the characters. So often in horror (and especially, it seems, when female characters are involved), the focus is on toxic or manipulative relationships. A dark theme seems to beget dark relationships. But not so in this book. The relationships are refreshingly healthy. Rose is a complete bad-ass, but she isn't afraid to disclose her vulnerabilities to a trusted few. Her family is unconventionally blended, but they all love and support each other. She sets boundaries, and knows when to enforce them. It may not sound all that riveting, but the focus on establishing Rose's relationships with Sam, Luke, and even Aaron made the stakes feel so much higher throughout the story because I was genuinely invested in these characters. I absolutely adored the way it was handled.
A couple of things while I was reading took me out of the story a little bit, but they were minor compared to the overall quality of this novel. The big one which stuck with me was just the frequency with which the characters call each other by their names in the course of normal conversation. It took away a tiny bit from the flow of an otherwise extremely strong narrative. It also felt (for my tastes) like things wrapped up just a little bit too neatly at the end.
This was such a strong story, I could hardly believe it was the author's debut novel! I absolutely can't wait to see what Hightower does next, and I will definitely be keeping a close eye on her after this read!